I agree, OP. Tiny bites for entree prices. It is a big scam.

I agree. It’s especially stupid for vegetarians like me.

The problem is the price point. It should be under $10 for the simple stuff like tortilla, some cheese, patatas bravas, etc. A little more for sausage or meatballs. And a little more for stuff like grilled octopus or the white anchovies. Then you can fill out the table with cheaper items and add a few fancy ones.

I think tapas got trendy and some places really hiked the prices up. Try Guardado’s in Bethesda — it’s really good and prices are reasonable. A simple tortilla is $7, pinchitos with mashed potato $8.50, etc….so you can average out 3 per person for less than $25 and share stuff around.

Totally agree. I hate when we’re planning a girls’ night and someone is like “oh let’s do tapas.” Please, let’s not. I don’t know anywhere else where I can spend so much, eat so little, and have so little control over the meal I get.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whenever I go out for tapas it’s understood we’re just sampling a few things and not eating a whole meal’s worth of food. So maybe you’re just doing it wrong?

So after you go out for tapas do you grab dinner? Or go home to eat same?

I can go without eating dinner. If I’m hungry later I can have a small dessert or snack, but I don’t usually find I need to. I don’t go out for tapas super frequently, but it’s not a big deal for me to eat light one day.

Anonymous wrote:Whenever I go out for tapas it’s understood we’re just sampling a few things and not eating a whole meal’s worth of food. So maybe you’re just doing it wrong?

So after you go out for tapas do you grab dinner? Or go home to eat same?

Whenever I go out for tapas it’s understood we’re just sampling a few things and not eating a whole meal’s worth of food. So maybe you’re just doing it wrong?

I am slightly worried about this trend where we now hate stupid, small things. It seems like you could go with the dislike in the description. We have people hatin' so many things. What happened to "I don't like it, or I don't enjoy it?"

I love tapas (or other small sharing plates) for dinner. I actually prefer having a couple of bites of many dishes, rather than full plate of one. Also, never has it bothered me that I got 2 prawns and somebody else got 3.

However, I've yet to have great tapas in DC. It's only 'quite good' at best.
And of course, I can't think of a tapas dish that I would order for $29. Just no.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate having to share dishes with people. I am, despite my best efforts, a picky eater. So if we are sharing plates, and I only like two things on the table, I might not get any of them while other people like six things on the table.

Can’t you just order another couple dishes?

Not when everything has already been ordered and delivered to the table, and not when I'm not the one paying. I would happily pay my own way to ensure I could get food I want, but it would create awkwardness. The last time I went out with extended family was January and I managed to order last and only one person said "Oh that sounds great!" and my heart sank. Then the waiter put the dish right next to me which was great, but the person paying specifically said to me "why don't you take some and pass the plate around?" so I'd look like a huge jerk if I didn't do that.

I think you identified the issue - some people walk away hungry because they feel awkward asking for more food - whether it’s because they need to eat more in general or because they do not like most of the options. It is worse when one person is “treating” and sort of dictates the food. So the option is come across as rude or go hungry.

No, it’s because the portion sizes are odd and stupidly sized for consuming for a dinner. Tapas were never intended to be the crescendo of a meal.

Let’s say you go to a tapas place where they have fried rice balls only on the menu. You go as a family of 4. Each tapas dish is gonna come with 3 balls (they’re always stupidly portioned). So how many do you order? 4 dishes so each person get 3 each? You do that and inevitably 2 out of the 4 will still be hungry. You order another one. Now 3 more balls come out and the rest who are still hungry can only eat one more. Now you have one ball left over. Or the inevitable will happen where the two that are still hungry need 2 more balls each to feel full, meaning you gotta order two more plates of the rice balls. Now you have 2 more balls left over.


And that scenario plays out with a group. Imagine when everyone is unrelated and want their own bills. Utter nightmare. Tapas just suck. Their bar food an *individual* is supposed to eat with booze. That’s it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate having to share dishes with people. I am, despite my best efforts, a picky eater. So if we are sharing plates, and I only like two things on the table, I might not get any of them while other people like six things on the table.

Can’t you just order another couple dishes?

Not when everything has already been ordered and delivered to the table, and not when I'm not the one paying. I would happily pay my own way to ensure I could get food I want, but it would create awkwardness. The last time I went out with extended family was January and I managed to order last and only one person said "Oh that sounds great!" and my heart sank. Then the waiter put the dish right next to me which was great, but the person paying specifically said to me "why don't you take some and pass the plate around?" so I'd look like a huge jerk if I didn't do that.

I think you identified the issue - some people walk away hungry because they feel awkward asking for more food - whether it’s because they need to eat more in general or because they do not like most of the options. It is worse when one person is “treating” and sort of dictates the food. So the option is come across as rude or go hungry.

I enjoy tapas with my husband, but more people than that and it gets too unwieldy. It's never enough food, it costs an arm and a leg, and from a food presentation standpoint it's just not appetizing to have a bunch of people cutting a shrimp in half or the meatball into fourths.

I love tapas! The first couple bites of anything are always the best. With responsive wait staff you can get more of the really good dishes. The prices can be tough, though, I agree.